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Tom Cruise's recent behavior putting Mission Impossible III at risk

LOS ANGELES, June 1 - Just months into his tenure as chairman of Paramount, Brad Grey is facing the sort of decision that makes Hollywood executives quiver: whether to proceed with production of the hugely expensive "Mission: Impossible III," even as its star, Tom Cruise, is puzzling associates and members of the public with his behavior while promoting another Paramount venture, "War of the Worlds."

An executive for Viacom, Paramount's parent company, said the studio had not yet decided whether to push ahead with production of "Mission: Impossible III," one of the company's most valuable franchises and a project on which tens of millions of dollars has already been spent. Shooting was planned to begin in Italy on July 18 and to continue on location in Europe and elsewhere.

"No definitive decision has been made; it's a discussion," said the executive, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he feared endangering the studio's relationship with Mr. Cruise. Other executives involved in the discussion said the production became an issue in recent days as the budget has climbed well over $150 million. A studio spokeswoman, Janet Hill, declined to comment.

The uncertainty comes at a critical time for Paramount as it prepares to release "War of the Worlds," a big-budget science fiction epic directed by Steven Spielberg and starring Mr. Cruise. The movie, jointly financed with DreamWorks, is to open on June 29.

While promoting that film over the last several weeks, Mr. Cruise engaged in an increasingly public discussion of his religion, Scientology. Then he set tongues wagging in Hollywood and elsewhere with an hourlong appearance on the May 23 "Oprah" show, during which he jumped around the set, hopped onto a couch, fell rapturously to one knee and repeatedly professed his love for his new girlfriend, the actress Katie Holmes.

Many Hollywood stars are involved with the Church of Scientology, and there is nothing particularly unusual about trumpeting a new love. But some executives at Paramount and DreamWorks have voiced concern that fans were becoming distracted from the movie, which cost some $130 million to produce.

"You can have so much attention on a particular issue that maybe the movie doesn't get as much attention as it might," Marvin Levy, a spokesman for Mr. Spielberg, a partner in DreamWorks, said of the show. "It's the topic of conversation, for many reasons."

The two studios have already curtailed the normal promotional press junket ahead of the June 29 release of "War of the Worlds," limiting it to what Mr. Levy called a smaller number of "preselected interview sessions." He said the decision had nothing to do with Mr. Cruise but was made because there had been enough promotion already.

Mr. Cruise's recent comments and behavior have been fodder for Internet bloggers, radio talk show hosts and late-night comedians, who, among other things, have questioned whether the love affair with Ms. Holmes was a publicity stunt. A spokeswoman for Mr. Cruise denied that this was the case.

But within Hollywood, the discussion among agents, producers, studio executives and other actors has been focused more on whether Hollywood's biggest box office star was doing long-term harm to his career. And there was sincere confusion over what Mr. Cruise, a 20-year veteran of the publicity machine, had in mind with his recent public appearances and statements.

Mr. Cruise's spokeswoman, his sister Lee Anne De Vette, said she had not heard anything negative after the "Oprah" appearance. "You're looking at someone who's genuinely very happy," she said. "The response we've gotten back is complete enthusiasm and exhilaration for his enthusiasm and exhilaration. He's a very happy person."

Still, there have been other publicity hiccups related to Mr. Cruise's increasingly public association with Scientology, the religion founded by the science fiction writer L. Ron Hubbard. In a series of television interviews on "Access Hollywood" last week, the star spoke at length about his passion for Scientology, at one point criticizing Brooke Shields for taking anti-depressants: Scientology considers modern psychiatry and its medications to be harmful.

And in an interview with the German magazine Der Spiegel in April, Mr. Cruise got into a heated exchange with an interviewer who called Scientology a pseudo-science after the star said he had personally "helped hundreds of people get off drugs." Mr. Spielberg was present at the interview and found himself defending Mr. Cruise's dedication to Scientology by comparing it to his work for his Shoah Foundation, which promotes education about the Holocaust. A DreamWorks executive called the exchange unfortunate.

One Spiegel interviewer, Lars-Olav Beier, said he was given a tour of Scientology's celebrity center before the interview. Ms. De Vette said Mr. Cruise talked about Scientology simply to answer questions. "Scientology didn't come up on 'Oprah,' " she observed. "It's a matter of what's being asked. He's not talking about it more than in the past."

Ms. De Vette also said she had not heard that plans for "Mission: Impossible III" were under review, and added that Mr. Cruise was in training for the film's stunts. "I know nothing about that," she said, referring to a Tuesday report on the Web site huffingtonpost.com that the film might be suspended. "As far as I know we're moving ahead."

Mr. Cruise's insistence on making his religion a prominent part of his current work has raised some resistance in Hollywood. Some executives from the United International Pictures, which is releasing "War of the Worlds" overseas, complained earlier about being asked to take a four-hour tour of Scientology facilities in Los Angeles in late January.

And Mr. Cruise's insistence on having a Scientology tent on the set of "War of the Worlds" created a conflict at Universal, where the movie was being shot, two executives involved said. The executives, who asked not to be identified to protect industry relationships, said that Mr. Cruise, his agent Kevin Huvane and Mr. Spielberg all had to appeal personally to the president of Universal Studios, Ron Meyer, for the tent to be permitted on the studio lot, where no solicitation is allowed.

The studio required that the tent not be used for recruitment purposes, they said. A studio spokesman declined to comment.

My dad got to enjoy 3 Reds World Championships by the time he was my age. So far, I've only gotten to enjoy one. Step it up Redlegs!

Brooke Shields has officially engaged with Tom Cruise in what is fast becoming a celebrity war of the words.

After Cruise criticized Shields' use of antidepressants as "irresponsible" during an interview with Access Hollywood last week, Shields has suggested the leading man keep his opinions to himself.

"Tom Cruise's comments are irresponsible and dangerous," Shields said in London last week. "Tom should stick to saving the world from aliens and let women who are experiencing postpartum depression decide what treatment options are best for them."

Shields recently published Down Came the Rain, a personal chronicle of her struggle with depression following the 2003 birth of her daughter, Rowan. The memoir delves into the actress' use of Paxil as a form of treatment for her condition and is meant to inspire other women to seek help.

"Don't be ashamed, and don't disregard what you are feeling," Shields writes in the book. "I recovered only because I got help."

The actress has said she is currently in the process of weaning herself from the drug in order to try for a second child with husband Chris Henchy.

However, as a dedicated follower of Scientology, Cruise is of the belief that miNd-altering medications of any kind are "dangerous" and that women should treat conditions such as postpartum depression with "vitamins." Hence his stamp of disapproval on Shields' choice to use Paxil and to discuss that choice in her memoir.

"When you talk about postpartum, you can take people today, women, and what you do is you use vitamins. There is a hormonal thing that is going on, scientifically, you can prove that. But when you talk about emotional, chemical imbalances in people, there is no science behind that," the actor told Access Hollywood.

"When someone says [medication] has helped them, it is to cope, it didn't cure anything. There is no science. There is nothing that can cure them whatsoever," Cruise said.

Cruise went on to make a not-so-subtle jab at the former Suddenly Susan star's professional life.

"I care about Brooke Shields because I think she is an incredibly talented women, [but] look at where her career has gone."

Ouch. True, Shields' latest pilot, New Car Smell, was recently passed over by Fox, but the actress has been earning positive reviews in the role of Roxie Hart in the London theater production of Chicago.

Meanwhile, as anyone not living under a rock knows by now, Cruise's latest project, Steven Spielberg's War of the Worlds, is scheduled to open June 29.

Though one would expect Cruise to become increasingly visible as the film's premiere date approaches, it turns out the public may actually see less of the actor than in recent weeks.

Paramount and DreamWorks have cut out the usual promotional press junket in favor of a smaller number of "preselected interview sessions," DreamWorks exec Martin Levy told the New York Times in an article published Thursday.

Speculation exists that Cruise's increasing passion for discussing both his religious beliefs and his feelings for new girlfriend Katie Holmes led to the decision to cut back on his promotional appearances.

Levy admitted that studio executives had expressed concern over Cruise's well-publicized, erratic May 23 appearance on The Oprah Winfrey Show, during which Cruise bounced around the room, on and off furniture, sank to the floor and repeatedly announced his love for Holmes. (At least we can rule out mind-altering drugs.)

"You can have so much attention on a particular issue that maybe the movie doesn't get as much attention as it might," Levy told the Times of the appearance. "It's the topic of conversation for many reasons."

However, Levy denied that the choice to scrap the press junket had anything to do with Cruise, rather it was made because the movie had already received sufficient promotion.

"Booing on opening day is like telling grandma her house smells like old lady."--WOY

I liked the first MI movie. The second one was garbage. I think they are using Cruise's recent behavior as a scapegoat. I think the reason Paramount is ready to pull the plug is because the movie has been in production for like 5 years now. They're on their 3rd director, who knows how many writers (4 are credited on IMDB but I know Frank Darabount worked on it and he isn't listed). I also read that a few of the people that had been cast are being replaced. My guess is Paramount sees no end in sight.

Kind of funny Brooke told Tom to keep his opinions to himself, yet went on to tout treatment of depression through medication, which is an opinion also, not strictly a scientific approach. Hard to believe the starlet didn't see the hypocrisy .

Originally Posted by Jaycint

Why must people continue to press their religious beliefs on others? Scientology, Christianity, Islam, etc etc etc. It's a personal thing, keep it to yourself.

Yea, we wouldn't want things like our eternal destiny, our existence, the afterlife, God and all that messy stuff to enter into public discourse.

It is more important to talk about what happened on Wysteria Lane, whether or not Mission Impossible III is any good, and whether or not we should fire Dave Miley.

I'm not saying don't discuss it, I'm saying don't try to tell other people how to live based on your own beliefs which is what I felt Cruise was doing to Shields.

Yeah I agree, and nothing is more annoying than those pretentious Scientologist freaks downtown who keep trying to stick literature in my face, at one point calling me a "slave" for having a full-time job.

If Mr. 20-something Scientologist can pay my bills with his religion then I'd happily join his alien cult.

I'm not saying don't discuss it, I'm saying don't try to tell other people how to live based on your own beliefs which is what I felt Cruise was doing to Shields.

That is the nature of a truth claim. If one believes they have the truth, then expressing those truths will necessarily come off as telling one how to live. I'm not sure what value there is to discussing these things if that is not the ultimate goal. Else, you recreate first century Athens where folks sat around and exchanged ideas but were not in search of absolute truth. I would say doing anything less is "vanity, vanity, all is vanity," as Solomon said in Ecclesiastes.

Of course, everyone has to make up their own mind about such things ultimately, but it is a sad state of affairs when relativism is so steeped in the culture that one cannot express their view on life's great questions in a manner that they believe is expressing the truth, whether they actually are or not.

By the way, folks are told how to live by others every day. We call them laws, jobs, spouses, friends, enemies...

By the way, folks are told how to live by others every day. We call them laws, jobs, spouses, friends, enemies...

Haha, you know what I meant.

I see your point but let me try and make myself more clear. I felt like Cruise was going out of his way to rip someone for not believing the same thing he believes. That was the crux of my argument. Everybody has their own belief system and should be free to practice it among those of like mind. I think, and this is just my opinion, that the line is crossed when someone makes a blatant effort to push that belief system off on another person or to fault them for not holding the same values.

I don't like having my door knocked on at 9 AM on a Saturday. I don't like being handed a pamphlet on the way into the mall. I believe that people will search for these things on their own at a point in time when their eyes are opened to it, they shouldn't be agressively recruited.

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